They beat them on the pitch, and now they’ve beat them off it too.
Last night, Southampton beat Swansea in an absolutely huge relegation showdown that all but saw Southampton safe, and may have condemned the Swans to the Championship. The game was a feisty affair, and Manolo Gabbiadini’s scrappy winner was enough to earn an absolutely massive three points for the Saints.
But the bad blood didn’t end at the final whistle.
Yesterday, the Southampton squad were booked into stay at the Marriott Hotel in Swansea, which did have 40 vacant rooms, but were forced to cancel due to an apparent virus that was going around the hotel.
Southampton boss Mark Hughes took issue with this, and a number of Southampton fans reckoned that this was a deliberate ploy to throw the Saints off their game, and unsettle them in some way. Whether or not you think that this is was a genuine concern for the Southampton team, or just some dirty tactics, is up to you, but this might give you a better insight…
I called the Swansea Marriott yesterday morning and asked if they would take a booking for ten people for last night. They said they would. Maybe ten people doesn’t count as a ‘large group’. #virusgate #dirtytricks?
— Ian Ladyman (@Ian_Ladyman_DM) May 8, 2018
Fast forward 24 hours, Southampton are basically safe and Swansea are basically down, and the Saints have decided to rub some more salt into the wounds on social media, leaving the Marriott Hotel a cheeky review.
Just some feedback… #saintsfc pic.twitter.com/RbG6k2Uh8O
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) May 9, 2018
They most damning of the lines comes at the very end, where they say “Fortunately, the experience didn’t sour our trip. Business meeting was extremely productive. Not planning to return any time soon.”
Because Swansea will almost definitely be playing their football in a lower league next season. Ouch.
